The EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the office tasked with receiving and processing EU trademark applications, has been named the most innovative IP office in the world, in a global survey carried out by the intellectual property magazine ‘World Trademark Review’.

The EUIPO (previously known as OHIM), was created as a decentralised agency of the European Union to offer IP rights protection to businesses and innovators across the EU. The office’s core activity comprises the receipt and processing of EU trademark applications. EU trademarks are valid throughout the European Union (EU) and the EUIPO registers circa 135 000 EU trademarks each year, effectively offering intellectual property protection to companies and individuals in a market of more than 500 million consumers.

The survey considered the 40 top IP offices in the world, and focused on feedback solicited from trade mark practitioners across the globe, with the EUIPO topping the magazine’s ranking.

The EUIPO’s deserved ranking is rooted in the office’s work on innovative, cutting-edge digital trademark tools which have come to be unparalleled in terms of online usability and technical proficiency

Recent years have seen a considerable expansion of the remit and services being offered by many IP offices, which has moved away from the previous core responsibility of maintaining a simple trademark register. The majority of IP offices have today introduced e-filing facilities and some have also launched ancillary services such as trademark dispute mediation and IP-related advice.

The EUIPO’s deserved ranking is rooted in the office’s work on innovative, cutting-edge digital trademark tools which have come to be unparalleled in terms of online usability and technical proficiency. The EUIPO’s work in this respect has effectively resulted in every IP office in the EU, including Malta, having trademark e-filing capability. The office also coordinates the regular publication of trademark-relevant research and hosts numerous events over the course of each year.